Improvement in railways



,Quinn ,g'tatrs gestuit @ffice 'I THOMAS WHITTEMORE, OF CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASSACHUSETTS. Letters'Pme'lit No. 69,733, [lated -Octobcr 8, 18674 IMPROVEMENT III RAILWAYS.

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Be itv known `that I, THOMAS WnrrTeMonE, of Cambridgcport, in the county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a` new and useful Improvement having Reference to Railways or the ished joints thereof; and do hereby declare thcsarnc to he fully described in the following specification, and represented in thc accompanying drawings, of which- Figurel is a top view.

Figures 2 and 3 side elevations.

Figure 4, a transverse and vertical section and Figure 5, a horizontal section of portions of two rails and their shedjoint provided with my invention.

Figure 6 is a side view of the bolt-holder, to be hereinafter described:

The purpose of my invention is to prevent the screw-bolts and nuts of the joint-lap bars from becoming loosened or unscrewed by the jar and concussions of the railway carriages, while the lutter may be running en th track. I i

In the drawings, A and B are end portions of two rails, arranged iu line with each other. B and C are the .shings or lap bars, arranged against opposite sides of such rails, and each way from their joint a. The innet` lap bar B I make with acheck groove, 1), extending longitudinally 'through it, ond of a. depth and width to receive each of the several nuts D D D D of the serewfbolts E E E E, and prevent it from being revolved. The screw-thread' of one or euch of thebolt-s going through one of .the rails is pitched in a direction opposite to that of either or each of the screws of the bol-ts which go through the other rail, and each bolt is provided with an' auxiliary head, c, extending from and being larger in size than its main head d, as represented in the drawings. Incase the outer fishing or lap bar C is triade of wood, I prefer to use against it a plate, I", of metal fertile main heads ofthe screwbolts to abut against, the Shanks of the bolts going through the pluto, but when the bar-C is made of metal there need be no such'plate employed. .A bolt-holder' or plate, G, formed as shown in iig. 6, v-iz, with notches dcfg, to receive 'the main heads ot' the bolts, and enclose them on opposite sid-es, is`to1he slipped on the said heads and between the fishing and the `auxiliary bolt-heads, the latter serving to retain the bolt-holder against the fishing or its face-plate. The external notches d g, instead of being rectangular like the internal ones ef, are shaped as shown infig. G, so as 'to admit each ofthe exterior bolts,"after application oi' the bolt-holder to thorn, to be turned a little into`rceesses 7i h, 'and so as to prcventthe lholt-holder from being lifted oli' the bolts. Preparatory to insertion of the bolts through the lapibars und rails;H

the nuts are placed within the holding groove of the inner lap bar, the bolts being subsequently screwedl into I am aware of the device patented by'Letters-Patcnt No. 32,880, suehbeing for preventing' a nut from work. ing loose upon its screw. This construction d'iiers frein iny' invention, as I make use of no ra=tchet-teeth, no. springs nor pawls to-p'revent the nut'from turning on the screw, but I arrange the nut in a groove in the lap bar, and-so that the'sides of the groove alone'xnay operateto prevent thcnut from being revolved.

In consequence of the two outer bolts having their screw-threads pitched in opposite directions, one being what is termed-a left" and the other'a right screw, any tendency o f the bolts to unscrcw within their nuts will set their main heads rmer inte the notches h i, and thcrebyopcretet'o prevent, withsuch notches, the boltholdcri from being raised out of place on the bolts. v

I claim th'c bolt-holder as made with its' external notches fortned substantially as set forth.

I also claim in connection with the bolt-holden having its external notches formed as described, the. arrangement oi' the outer bolts with screws pitched in opposite direct-ions, as explained.

I also claim the combination and arrangement of the auxiliary bolt-heads, with tho bolts, bolt-holder, rails, and lap bars, the whole being as specified. i i' i Ialso claim the combina-tion of the bolt-holder, constructed as described, with the bolts, the rails, -and. the lap bars, as specified. p i f I'also claim the 'arrangement of the check groove 6 and the lap bar, the bolts and nuts, or the same and 'tbc holding-plate applied tothe two rails, substantially as set forth.'

' i THOMAS WHITTEMORE.

'Witliesscs:

It. H. EDDY, u F. l?. HALE, .Ti-...1 4 

